Hitachi-LG teases HyDrive: an optical reader with loads of NAND (video)
Want a speedy, drop-proof SSD in your laptop? In all but the largest of 'em, you've got just two choices: pay through the nose for a reasonable amount of storage, or settle for a cheaper boot drive at the expense of capacity. Hitachi-LG Data Storage is pulling a Monty Hall by opening door number three -- an optical drive with a built-in 32GB or 64GB SSD. Dubbed the HyDrive and currently being showcased at mysterydrive.net, the product is presently being labeled a "concept," but a set of impressive demo videos already show the ODD / SSD combo booting, multitasking and error-correcting Keanu Reeves like a trained pro. We'll have more details at Computex, at which point we'll let you know whether to be hesitantly expectant or gravely disappointed. Personally, hybrid HDDs be damned -- we want one of these suckers yesterday. Videos after the break.























Make a slot loaded version so I can put it in my MacBook.
@Greg7388
we do have slot load version too...
Great I look forward to getting one of these.
@Greg7388 I'd have one in a heart beat
use it to boot the os and have the regular hdd for user accounts and media stuff.
added benefit of allowing the hdd to be temporarily moved to another machine. at least on Macs anyway
@lukechoi
how can i get one?
@Gonzie
It's worth noting that Linux would also allow the easy unmounting of the hdd when not in use.
This whole concept is brilliant.
@Greg7388
ok flash data and disk drive check
now if they add bluray and slot loading
they got me hook, line n sinka
Why not just put a mini PCIe SSD into the notebook instead? It takes up less space, weighs less and it's upgradeable. Btw, who uses ODD's these days?
@TheLostSwede They would need a SATA contoler, and no such mini-pcie ssd exists
@10nisman94
And some laptops have the mini PCI slot preloaded for wireless.
@10nisman94
O rLY?
http://geizhals.at/deutschland/?cat=hdssd&xf=257_PCIe+Mini+Card
@TheLostSwede
I wish some laptops would come with a 2nd HDD bay instead of ODD's. I use optical media like once a month and would happily buy an external ODD if I needed it. But 2 HDD's (well I'd probably go a 500GB HDD and 64GB SSD or something like that) would be fuk'n awesome.
@SL2 Yes RLY, netbook ssd's, which is what you linked to, all use a specialized PATA interface, so no go in your average laptop, plus they are slow.
@HawtDawg
I agree though I would be happy with just about anything, like bigger battery, better CPU/GPU, extra RAM slots, more ports, thinner/lighter laptop, ect. Just remove the stupid disc drive, I hardly ever use it and I never need it when I am out and about, just to occasionally install some software or rip a CD.
@HawtDawg
http://newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_27
Just get this and replace your ODD.
@TheLostSwede
If you use PCIe SSDs the speed is quite slow due to smaller number of NAND flash... we uses 8 NAND flash for maximum speeds...
@TheLostSwede Where would your Wi-Fi module be if you use the mini PCI-X port? This is for laptops not netbooks, most intel laptops already use the mini PCI slot well AFAIK.
Make a slot loading blu Ray version and I'm sold
yes, Blu Ray Slot HyDrive is availa from Aug. 2010
64 GB of NAND is more than enough for a decent chunk of the consumer market. For the business side also, unless you are working on video or image processing, 64GB is also sufficient. For all your data files, move to the net-- Store online or on a server at home.
@arnavdesai
And what do you do when you are on an airplane with no connectivity? Or on any of the various places you may not have a connection to the internet...
@Luxury Guy Regular HDD still in there...
@Luxury Guy
I can tell you how I do my coding, all code I am working on is synced with my CVS server back in the office and anytime I work on a project, that project always exists locally. However, if you are in a niche category wherein you work on more than 3 or 4 projects at once and they each seem to be more than 5 to 6 GB then yes maybe you need a larger hard drive but frankly, will you truly be working on your flights? Also, most long distance flights these days have in built WiFi and if your work is so crucial that you must connect then I am sure your company will not mind paying 15$ for your few hours of Internet usage.
umm.. ok.. so what happens when you eject the drive while the computer is already running? If the SSD is the OS drive, won't the system flip out when the drive ejects?
How does this thing work... exactly?
They have my attention...
@palehorse: The SSD would likely be on the part of the DVD drive that stays stationary, not the part that slides in and out.
In essence, it's likely a "Slimline" DVD drive with the SSD mounted below, and packaged in a regular-sized laptop DVD-drive casing. The SSD would/could be used for prefetching/buffering of DVD video or for system caching.
That is just an awesome idea.
The PCI is useful for many things so leave it for other stuff.
I have an SSD 30Gig for my OS in my desktop and use my Terabyte hard drive for storage.
You can now use the spinner in your laptop as a storage.
I want one NOW!!!
@Dognip
yes, that is the concept what we trying to build.... You may buy laptop with HyDrive within this year....
It won't coz the odd and NAND are separate they just use the same sata port via a contoller chip
Now that is a mistery, I see a blank screen on the link on my ipad
My notebook boots in 12 seconds with my Vertex II. I'll take 64 more gb of SSD space, though. It better support Trim, lots of iops, no studering, etc.
With this Netbooks can drop the HDD and adopt a CD+HDD!
@thescreensavers
yes, some of OEM is thinking that too... isn't it nice?
This is a pretty awesome idea! Now you wont have to compromise lightness as much.
Am I the only one fascinated with the little emoticon at the end of each of these videos?
:D
yeah~~
It smiles and hi drive???
Not bad. But most of the gaming laptops come with two HDD slots these days. And you certainly don't want a 320/500 Gigs for your Ultra Portable. Or, you can always insert an SSD replacing the ODD.
This idea will be certainly pricey than a single 32GB SSD + ODD so no cost benefit either.
@sabby
it will be cheaper than sing SSD + ODD... don't worry..
Remember when LG DVD drives had a bundle-ware called Bluebird? World's first bloatware combined with hardware. I think this is what lead to putting together a SSD and a DVD in one.
You realize that some laptops/netbooks have more than one PCIe, right?
http://www.insidemylaptop.com/images/Asus-Eee-901-disassembled.jpg
@SL2 You realize that netbooks have specialized ports for their über slow SSDs, right?
@10nisman94
You can have any interface you want.
http://www.solidatum.com/showproduct.asp?lgID=EN&LID1=3&LID2=4&LID3=5&PID=15
Being faster than a X25-M isn't slow.
http://www.runcorestore.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=8000009B-1249408121Cth.jpg&GBSize=16GB-128GB
Both from my first link..
@SL2 The point is that none of those will work in your laptop's mini-pcie slot without doing some soldering
it developed by Hitachi-LG Data Sotrage, Inc. who is global Optical Storage leader~~
they also making Network Attached Storage too.
This is totally awesome (assuming you still have/want an optical drive).
I really like this concept and think it is very cool and something new for me to upgrade my older pen based tablets and some of my newer laptop/tablets.
However Im having a slight concern with the concept of SSD and ODD in one. Back in my early computer days I bought a new concept for my desktop that had a 3.5" floppy drive and 5.25" floppy drive in the same drive bay and housing. Now as space saving and awesome as that was at the time, if one of the drives broke, you were kinda screwed. What happens here down the line if your ODD goes out but your SSD keeps on working? ,,, See where Im going with this? Im still on board with buying a few of these but want something like a good warranty out of it :)
This is a really nice idea.
I'd pick up the bluray slot Hydrive in August and replace my bluray drive with it (stick it in another laptop).
as a former factory, service center, and retail tech, I must say that - LG and Hitatchi really MUST label these with GIGANTIC warnings and notices informing a technician that this is NOT a normal ODD, and that it contains an SSD. I'm talking a plastic violator that even flaps out when you remove the drive even, it has to be REALLY noticeable, otherwise a customer's data might be lost unbeknownst to the tech who's doing an ODD replacement, or worse- dismantling one of these to remove a jammed disc and possibly damaging the SSD.
This is just a basic DVD drive with badass buffer memory.
(And a small wizard in it that can repair scratches. I loved that part with Matrix.)
The mystery in this drive is how they're gonna sell it.
We are going to release with DVDRW and Blr Ray drives with SSD.
It is not buffer memror it is real SSD drivs as 32GB and 64GB which you can install OS and applicaiton.
The drive will not be sold at retails but PC OEMS. You can get Desktp or notebook with HyDrive in Q3 this year.
@lukechoi Will it be consumer installable, or will there be motherboard modifications needed? Also, will the SSD have TRIM support?